New Sensation
by Thatkliqkid
Summary: ONESHOT. Shawn Michaels and HHH spot Joanie Laurer a/k/a Chyna long after the house show is over and decide to investigate why she's still there. Plus a brief appearance by Bret Hart.Rated T for language. Please read and review.


It was Shawn who saw her first. She was sat in the bleachers watching the crew dismantle the ring, her tanned flesh rippled with goose bumps. He whacked Hunter good-naturedly in the chest to grab his attention.

"Look"

Hunter followed his gaze, allowed his hazel eyes to rest on the soft face; her brow creased with worry.

"What's she still doing here? Show finished hours ago" he said

"Only one way we're gonna find out" announced Shawn taking eager strides in her direction.

"Shawn you don't even know her!" hissed Hunter, "Shawn!"

He sighed as his smaller friend bounded over to the bleachers like an excited child, the buzz from the match still pumping through his veins.

Hunter watched wearily as Shawn threw himself into the seat beside the girl. She glanced up, flicked the dark bangs from her robust face.

"Hi"

"Hey"

"If you're waiting for the dark match you're gonna have to move on to Syracuse" said Shawn flashing a crooked grin in her direction.

She chuckled weakly

"Unless you want me and Hunter to give you a little performance right here and now"  
" I don't think she wants to see you get your ass kicked Shawn" said Hunter dryly

"Hey, the only person doing any kicking around here will be me when I knock your teeth down your throat!" snapped Shawn shooting him a look. Even when joking Shawn was competitive, Hunter sighed.

"So much for the Kliq" he muttered

"If I hear you badmouthing the Kliq one more time Hunter you're being replaced by –"he faltered and turned to the lady sat beside him,

"Name?"

"Joanie" she supplied

"You're being replaced by Joanie!" finished Shawn a triumphant grin scrawled on his sun kissed features.

"Joanie!" cried Hunter a gleeful grin spreading across his own face, Shawn shot him a look of utter bewilderment.

"You been taking something you shouldn't have?" he asked flippantly

"No you nimrod" Hunter dismissed him swiftly, "I knew I recognised you"

He turned to Joanie and directed his explanation to her as Shawn gazed on expectantly.

"It's Paul, you remember from Kowalski's wrestling school?"

"Oh yeah" she said softly

"She doesn't seem very enthusiastic about you" commented Shawn, "Maybe you weren't that noticeable"

"Hey showstopper did I ask for an opinion?"

"Hey blueblood did I ask for an attitude?" retorted Shawn snapping at his gum obnoxiously.

Joanie glanced between the two of them

"It's ok he loves me really" soothed Hunter

"Yeah, it's part of the –"

He raised his voice slightly so it carried through the empty arena.

"BACKSTAGE POLITICKING"

Joanie looked over to where Shawn's gaze had now become fixated. She may not have been too familiar with the obnoxious blonde beside her, and could only vaguely remember Paul, but even she would be able to pick out Bret Hart in a line up of who's who in the wrestling world.

Bret turned sharply in the trio's direction. Shawn waved at him mockingly; a smirk languidly crept across his features.

Bret responded with a one finger salute. Shawn exploded into a hefty fit of laughter.

"Not very family orientated Hit Man, You use that hand to caress your wife…oh no wait-"

"Don't do it" hissed Hunter

"You too busy with Sunny!"

"Why'd you have to do it?" sighed Hunter, "You just can't help yourself can you?"

He leapt from the bleacher as Bret thundered up the steps the wood creaking in raspy protest beneath his hefty footsteps.

"Say that again boy toy"

"Back off Bret"

The Canadian turned his blazing gaze to Hunter and looked him up and down with disgust.

"Why should I listen to some _jobber?"_ he spat

"That _jobber_ uses more moves than you, you five moves of doom Canuck" retorted Shawn furiously, "Now back off before I shove you off"

"Is that some homo term?"

"You wanna explain to Vince how you ended up at the bottom of the Cleveland bleachers?" snapped Shawn, "Just fuck off"

"You started it" retorted Bret petulantly.

"You want him to finish it? Trust me Bret he ain't playing" retorted Hunter

"Leave Sunny alone"

Shawn leaned back against the wall his smile widening; he raised an eyebrow at the elder man.

"See I would but that girl is _begging_ for some real attention you get my drift?"

Bret lunged for the smaller man but hadn't bet on Hunter getting there first. He stumbled as Hunter grabbed him by the shirt.

"Just go home Bret" he commanded releasing him as he positioned himself between the elder man and Shawn.

"You're mixing with the wrong kind kid" spat Bret glaring in his direction

"My choice Bret, just 'cause you dislike Shawn doesn't mean we all got to. We're not in Canada now you know"

"Just keep that little fuckwad away from me" snarled Bret storming down the steps.

Shawn ran a hand through his sandy locks; a tight lipped smile smeared his face.

"Yeah keep walking Grand Wizard!"

"Shut it now" warned Hunter aiming a threatening finger in Shawn's direction.

"You can't tell me what to do, you're not the boss of me" muttered Shawn folding his arms huffily.

Joanie observed this all silently, noticed that Paul did little to console his outspoken friend, as if he had heard the rant a thousand times before.

Come to think of it he probably had.

"You want to lose some more hair?" snapped Hunter

"Shut up"

"Lose hair?" enquired Joanie confused.  
" Yeah Shawn and Bret got into a catfight. Shawn nipped Bret so he pulled his hair"

"I did not _nip_ him" retorted Shawn, "I tackled him, and anyway you weren't even there so what do you know?!"

"Well it's been lovely listening to you boys argue but I really should just go" Joanie broke in before the row could escalate

"Where you going?"  
Joanie turned back to Shawn, his azure eyes bled into a sapphire blue of curiosity.

"Home" she said

"So let me get this straight, you came all the way out to a house show, stayed an extra three hours and now you're going home? Why were you here anyways? And don't tell me it was to see Bret do the Russian leg drop 'cause girl you could have stayed at home and watched some old VHS from 1984 and saw the same thing for free"

"Ok, I came to see an agent"

"Ooh an agent!"

"Must you take the piss out of everyone?" barked Hunter

" I wasn't _taking the piss_. I was genuinely excited for Joanie" snapped Shawn rolling his eyes to the Heavens.

Hunter exhaled wearily. Sometimes being friends with Shawn was like babysitting a Fraternity Jock. He acted like a nimrod but you couldn't help but like him when he made you laugh so much.

" Anyway continue Joanie"

"Well obviously I wrestle-"

"Like really wrestle or Sunny/Sable wrestle?" Shawn broke in

"You know her story would get done a whole lot quicker if you stopped _butting in_"

Joanie glanced from Shawn to Hunter. Shawn motioned with his hand that she should go on.

"Yes really wrestle. So I've been sending my tapes out and I got a call saying I should bring my portfolio and things to the show and meet with an Agent after. Guess they forgot about me"

She feigned a laugh of nonchalance.

"Can I see the portfolio?"

"Shawn"

"What?! Am I not allowed to look at people's stuff now?"

"I'm not saying that, but since when were you in charge of creative control?"

"Since Vince McMahon said he liked me more than Bret" grinned Shawn

"You keep saying stupid stuff like that and Joanie here's gonna start thinking you really do politick"

"Does he?" enquired Joanie her curiosity heightened.

Shawn and Hunter exchanged a look.

"Um once I said I would rather wrestle my three year old nephew than IRS" grinned Shawn.

He paused.

"Vince didn't go for that so much. Something about it not being entertaining."

"He wrestled IRS" HHH informed her needlessly.

"Oh that's good"

"Match wasn't" spat Shawn

"Just leave him, he likes to sulk if he doesn't get to tear the house down and rub it in Bret's…I mean everyone's faces"

"Anyway can I see it?" cried Shawn glossing over his flaw. He really wanted to see this girl's talent. After all Hunter was trained in the same place so she had to be kind of good.

"Do you carry a VCR in your sports bag?" joked Joanie

"Ha ha" pouted Shawn

"If he really wanted to see it he'd invite you-"  
" Back to the hotel!" cried Shawn gleefully cutting him off as the idea struck him

"Oh fuck" muttered Hunter agitatedly. He knew where this was heading already and he didn't fancy trying to explain why two people had checked into Shawn's single room.

"Oh don't look at me like that!" snapped Shawn, "I only wanna see the wrestling match"

"Just don't start re-enacting one" muttered Hunter as Joanie stood and followed Shawn down the aisle.

"No offence but I don't really know who you are" she giggled as Shawn unlocked the room door.

"I'm Shawn" he said pointlessly as he kicked off his shoes. She looked at him scathingly.

"What you want my life history?! Ok, born in Arizona, raised in San Antonio, army brat who watched some southern wrestling grew into a bigger brat who wanted to wrestle for real. Got a job as a tag team ended up here. Went singles and became the heartbreak kid. My job is to look pretty and win belts"

"Your job is to look _pretty?_" Joanie asked scornfully

"Yeah I know I don't think he does a very good job either" said Hunter, "He's one ugly mother-"

He gasped as Shawn whacked him full force in the stomach with his duffel bag.

"Oh sorry, I thought you were gonna catch it" smirked the smaller man.

"I'm gonna kill you" wheezed Hunter. Joanie watched as Shawn leapt onto the king-size bed scrambling backwards as Hunter advanced clutching his stomach with one hand and grasping at fistfuls of air with the other as the smaller man ducked and weaved out of reach.

"No, Think about it Hunter! You touch one golden hair and Kev's gonna kill you; you _do_ remember the curtain call right? He and Scott they meant it man!"

"I believe I was instructed to treat you like my kid brother" growled Hunter, "And as far as I'm aware I have the right to pulverise annoying kid brothers!"

"Not with Joanie here! What kind of host would you be?!"

"You're the host you jackass!"

"Yeah and how can I host if you wont leave me alone?!" cried Shawn

Joanie glanced around the hotel room, wondering what kind of people she had ended up with. One seemed to be an intolerable bundle of sophomoric energy and the other seemed to have a big brother complex.

She coughed slightly in her throat drawing the boys' attention to her presence.

Shawn shot her a sheepish grin.

"Hey" he said, "Um sorry, do you wanna put the tape on over there?"

She glanced in the direction of the widescreen TV and wondered how the hell someone could afford a room like this. The shower was bigger than her entire apartment for crying out loud and this guy was so nonchalant about it.

"Here I'll do it" said Hunter holding his hand out expectantly. Joanie faltered before entrusting him with the cherished video tape. He put it in the machine and settled on the floor, back resting against Shawn's bed to watch it. Shawn sprawled himself out near the pillows, resting his hand beneath his chin. He patted the space beside him invitingly and enticed Joanie away from the doorway. She perched herself cautiously on the edge of the mattress more aware than ever that she had come back to a hotel with two men she barely knew, to a place she was unfamiliar with.

She needn't have worried. Once the indie show started Shawn only had eyes for the dusty rings, frazzled lights and amateur stars. He was captivated by the sawdust arenas and audibly gasped at some of her wrestling achievements.

"OH!" he cried as some random jobber went flying into the turnbuckle stomach first, "Hey Hunter is that how you felt?"

"You'll find out tomorrow in the gym when I accidentally slug you that way"

Joanie felt a flicker of pride and anticipation flare up in her chest. These guys were professionals who worked for the WWF. And they actually liked her!

The tape wound to and end and Shawn turned to her.

"Wow" he said breathlessly

"Really?" she asked softly

"That was awesome" added Hunter

"Me and Hunter, we'll get you a contract"

"_We_ will?" whispered Hunter incredulously beneath his breath

"You _gotta_ show this to Vince. Hey how about you stay here tonight and tomorrow morning we go see McMahon?"

"I dunno" said Joanie uncertainly.

"Come on! What have you got to lose?"

Joanie remained mute.

"See! Just try it. I'll come with you, Hell I'll sing your praises from the rooftops. Vince always listens to me. I know how to talk to him"

"Yeah, he threatens to walk out and Vince begs him to reconsider. Then Shawn here gets whatever he wants" said Hunter

"You do it too"

"I do not!"

"You do when you're with me"

"Do I have a choice?!"

"Where will I stay tonight?" interrupted Joanie before the doubt could totally derail her.

"You can stay in here with me" offered Shawn. He saw the gleam of worry shine in her eyes, "Look I know it's not ideal, and you barely know me, but my room's bigger than his and I promise you give me a side of the bed and I'll stay on it"

She nodded slowly.

Hunter made his excuses and left about an hour later closing the door behind him. He knew Shawn meant what he said; the girl definitely deserved a contract. He wasn't looking forward to the meeting though. I mean who was Joanie gonna wrestle? The boys backstage were never gonna go for it. He listened to the sounds of Joanie and Shawn discussing which side of the bed he was to be relegated to before wandering down the hall to his own room.

The sunlight tore through the chink in the curtains, dousing Joanie with blazing light. She stirred and pushed back the heavy blankets before rolling onto her side sure that the night before had been nothing but a dream. Positive that when she opened her eyes she would find herself transported back to her grubby one room apartment where she had nothing but a filthy mattress to call her own. She startled when she felt the presence of another body beside her; remembered she was in a bed with a near stranger of a man. Joanie's mind immediately flashed back to college and the drunken nights of illicit and invasive relations with such random men.

She opened her eyes to find herself staring into the sleeping sun kissed features of the Texan. He lay atop the blankets wearing a white shirt and black jeans, his socked feet curled beneath him. On his side of the bed just where he'd promised to stay.

She really was going to get her shot at wrestling in the big leagues after all.

She snuggled beneath the blankets and waited for Shawn to wake up, a content smile gracing her features.


End file.
